Piața Mare, Sibiu, Sibiu, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Piața Mare, the Great Square, is the largest and oldest public square in the Upper Town of Sibiu, Romania, and has been the centre of city life for centuries. It is lined with colourful merchants' houses and anchored by the Baroque Brukenthal Palace, home of the oldest museum in Romania.

The story behind it

For centuries this was where Sibiu came together. Markets, celebrations, public announcements and even trials took place here, and wealthy merchants and powerful families built their houses around the edges, each hoping to have the most impressive front. You can still read the competition in the doorways, balconies and carved details.

The square's best-known building is the palace of Samuel von Brukenthal, the 18th-century governor of Transylvania. He gathered one of the most admired private art collections of his time, and in 1817, years after his death, it opened to the public as the Brukenthal Museum, the oldest museum in Romania and in this part of Europe. The roofs have their own story: the small eyelid-shaped attic windows that give Sibiu its nickname were built to let air flow through attics where grain and meat were once stored. Over time their shape suggested that the houses were watching the people below.

What to look for

• Look up at the orange-tiled roofs to spot the Eyes of Sibiu, the small attic windows shaped like half-open eyelids.
• Study the facades around the square, where colours range from yellow and pink to cream, and compare the carved decoration, arched doorways and balconies of the old merchant houses.
• Take in the Baroque front of the Brukenthal Palace, the grandest building on the square and a sign of how much wealth and ambition once gathered here.
• Notice how the wide open space feels different from the narrower Piața Mică nearby, a reminder of how the square worked as a gathering place.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 30 to 60 minutes for the square itself, and more if you plan to go inside the Brukenthal Museum. Check current opening hours before you go.
• The square is an open public space, so you can walk through it at any time of day. Early morning is quietest, and evening light is lovely on the facades.
• Piața Mică, the Bridge of Lies and the old town walls are a short walk away, so it works well as the start of a wider stroll.
• Bring a camera and remember to look up, since the best details are above street level.

See it on a quest

Medieval Old Town Sibiu: Hidden Stories of the 7 Towers takes you through the medieval centre on foot, with the square as one stop on a longer route. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Kid Quest: Solve the case of the lost senses in Sibiu is built for families with children who like playing detective. You reach the square on foot between other stops in the old town, hear about it from the app and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Hidden Symbols of Sibiu, The Freemason Mystery suits anyone who enjoys looking closely at facades and details. The square is one stop along a walking route through the area, the app explains each place as you reach it, and a puzzle waits at every stop. One ticket covers the whole group.